The Underground

There was a gap in the clouds around midday and then the sun began to shine. That’s when Miki de Best and I met Mirella Simoncini from the Summerschool of Ballet in The Hague.

Forget “Black Swan” and all the psychodrama preconcenptions of how a balletschool should be; lean, hard and mean. As Katja, a 19 year old student of the ballet school, posed for the camera amongst the flora of the Queen’s gardens, Mirella explained to me the kernel at the heart of Ballet. “It’s all about the perfection of the extended line”. Physical graceful quest to achieve poise through movement between essentially five fixed poses.

"It is extremely difficult and requires complete dedication, there are no shortcuts but that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable and can't be fun!"

This isn’t for everyone, it is extremely difficult and requires complete dedication, as much as one expect from a top athlete or sportsman. It is hard work, and in classical ballet there are no shortcuts, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable and can’t be fun! The studio on the Toussaintkade is a pleasure to be in, light, beautifully detailed and has a genuinely positive vibe. If you do a name check of the people who have passes through its doors either as teachers or pupils it reads like a who’s who of today’s dance scene!

Beginning in July, Mirella offers classes from novices to performing artists trough the summer period. So that either students can have their first lessons in Ballet, practice for auditions for performance or to get into school the next year, or so that professional artists are able to hone their skills through the summer months in preparation for coming season.

So if you, or your kids are budding Nijinski’s this summer you know now just were you need to be!